1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to a variable compression ratio engine in which the compression ratio in a cylinder for an internal combustion engine is adjusted while the engine is running, and more specifically toward an improved piston and connecting rod arrangement for dynamically varying the engine compression ratio.
2. Related Art
Gasoline engines have a limit on the maximum pressure that can be developed during the compression stroke. When the fuel/air mixture is subjected to pressure and temperature above a certain limit for a given period of time, it autoignites rather than burns. Maximum combustion efficiency occurs at maximum combustion pressures, but in the absence of compression-induced autoignition that can create undesirable noise and also do mechanical damage to the engine. When higher power outputs are desired for any given speed, more fuel and air must be delivered to the engine. To achieve greater fuel/air delivery, the intake manifold pressure is increased by an additional opening of a throttle plate or by the use of turbochargers or superchargers, which also increase the engine inlet pressures. For engines already operating at peak efficiency/maximum pressure, however, the added inlet pressures created by turbochargers and superchargers would over compress the combustion mixtures, thereby resulting in autoignition, often called knock due to the accompanying sound produced. If additional power is desired when the engine is already operating with combustion pressures near the knock limit, the ignition spark timing must be retarded from the point of best efficiency. This ignition timing retard results in a loss of engine operating efficiency and also an increase of combustion heat transferred to the engine. Thus, a dilemma exists: the engine designer must choose one compression ratio for all modes. A high compression ratio will result in optimal fuel efficiency at light load operation, but at high load operation, the ignition spark must be retarded to avoid autoignition. This results in an efficiency reduction at high load, reduced power output, and increased combustion heat transfer to the engine. A lower compression ratio, in turn, results in a loss of engine efficiency during light load operation, which is typically a majority of the operating cycle.
To avoid this undesirable dilemma, the prior art has taught the concept of dynamically reducing an engine compression ratio whenever a turbocharger or supercharger is activated to satisfy temporary needs for massive power increases. Thus, using variable compression ratio technology, the compression ratio of an internal combustion engine can be set at maximum, peak pressures in non-turbo/super charged modes to increase fuel efficiency while the engine is operating under light loads. However, in the occasional instances when high load demands are placed upon the engine, such as during heavy acceleration and hill climbing, the compression ratio can be lowered, on the fly, to accommodate an increase in the inlet pressure caused by activation of a turbocharger or supercharger. In all instances, compression-induced knock is avoided, and maximum engine efficiencies are maintained.
Various attempts to accomplish dynamic variable compression ratios in an internal combustion engine have been proposed. For example, the automobile company SAAB introduced a variable compression ratio engine at the Geneva Motor Show in the year 2000. The SAAB design consisted of a monoblock cylinder head and a separate crankshaft/crankcase assembly. The monoblock head was connected by a pivot to the crankshaft/crankcase assembly, so that a small (e.g., 4°) relative movement was permitted, which movement was controlled by a hydraulic actuator. The SAAB mechanism enabled the distance between the crankshaft center line and the cylinder head to be varied.
Other attempts to accomplish dynamic variable compression ratios have included an effective lengthening/shortening of the connecting rod, which joins the reciprocating piston to a rotating crankshaft. Among the myriad designs which favor adjusting the length of a connecting rod, some are proposed in which an eccentric wristpin connection is provided at the articulating joint between the small end of the connecting rod and the piston. Examples of eccentric wristpin constructions may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,427,668 to Gill, issued Sep. 23, 1947, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,348 to Naruoka et al., granted Aug. 18, 1987, and also U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,975 to Hasegawa, granted Sep. 12, 1989.
A particular shortcoming in all prior art attempts to extend or shorten the length of the connecting rod through an eccentric bushing at the small (upper) end arises out of the orientation of various latching and/or actuation features relative to acceleration fields created at the small end of the connecting rod. More specifically, the reciprocating and articulating small end of the connecting rod generates directional acceleration fields along multiple vectors. If any of the latch or actuator features that control latching of the eccentric bushing are permitted to move in paths that coincide with one of these acceleration vectors, then the latch or actuator may inadvertently move when the engine is operated. This could lead to unintentional movement of the piston assembly between high and low compression settings.